Best Wrestlers to Never Win an NCAA Title

[Rassling2]

For me, it is Sebastian Rivera and Hayden Hidley

Edited Thursday at 09:59 AM by Rassling2

[swoopdown]

Not sure what's worse:  losing to different wrestlers (Caldwell) or the same wrestler every time (Fehrs)

[Eagle26]

The obvious answer is Daton Fix, but there’s a lot of incredible wrestlers on this list. I think Mike Poeta deserves a mention too

[Eagle26]

11 hours ago, wolfpack101 said:

Always thought Trent got such a rough break going head to head against one of the GOAT's in Aaron Brooks. They matched up at NCAA's 4 straight years from 21-24 twice in the semi's and twice in the finals with Brooks winning all 4. Trent Hidlay is a multi time champ in a lot of other era's.

Hayden matched up with Nolf, so that’s not much better. He beat him too if you ask me. Unfortunately, they only asked the ref, but it was definitely a controversial win for Nolf

[Frank]

2004 Scott Moore Virginia has to be one of the greatest single seasons ever not to win a title.  

[jdalu75]

2 hours ago, swoopdown said:

or the same wrestler every time (Fehrs)

And got closer each time!

[lisa morales]

Fehrs wrestled in the tights and swimsuit era.

 

[Fadzaev2]

13 hours ago, scourge165 said:

Ah...that's right.

Ok, well....he's somehow underrated. 

Hawewinkel is another guy who I forgot. 

Also like Gerry Abas. Man is a 3X Champ if he's not gassing he beats 3 absolute studs. Even the 15-6 loss to Fried seemed to turn on that reversal that wasn't. 

The way they wrestled back then was just so much simpler. Looked more like high level HS Wrestling now. Shots, the defense was mainly trying to stuff the head of if you got put to a hip, lock around the chest and try and get your leg back. You step out of bounds, the wrestling is over.

 

I don't like a lot of rule changes, but I LOVED the rule changes regarding Wrestling out of bounds.

 

There are so many all-time greats and guys from that era, I'm just totally ignorant about them. There's the one guy from Iowa...Rico Chiparelli or something. IIRC, he was a 3X Champ and it was like 12-0, 15-0, 10-0 or something like that.

I can't evaluate it. Uetake, kinda the same thing. Guy was the best in the world while he was the best in the Country, but...it's just hard without seeing it in MY opinion. 

Chiparelli wasn't a 3 time champion...he finished 5-4-1.  (The Baltimore Butcher)

[BloodRound]

I will mention Matt Kolodzik in honor of him getting horribly screwed by COVID.

[legalizefullnelson]

Purdue's Chris Fleeger deserves a mention.  He was great as a true freshman, losing only to Abas at NCAAs before finishing 3rd.  He then had two runner-up finishes, losing to Travis Lee and Matt Valenti in his two finals appearances.  I believe he lost a year of eligibility and did not compete in a 4th tournament.

[Le duke]

SeaBass. 

His hit list plus Oly bronze. 

Dude has wins over Glory, Gross, RBY, Vito (2x), Spencer (2x). 

[HarryConnickJr]

12 minutes ago, Le duke said:

SeaBass. 

His hit list plus Oly bronze. 

Dude has wins over Glory, Gross, RBY, Vito (2x), Spencer (2x). 

Always forgotten… (by me)- Rivera is a good pick, that is quite a hit list

[Rassling2]

1 hour ago, Fadzaev2 said:

Chiparelli wasn't a 3 time champion...he finished 5-4-1.  (The Baltimore Butcher)

Fadz, aren’t you the poster with the extensive collage of past NCAA tickets? I’ll never forget that photo - a wrestling FAN of all fans!

[Lleynor]

Jesus, Tyler Caldwell….. those defeats were to truly the elite of the elite. How many Nattys between those guys? 10? Forgot how many Howe won. 
 

And whoever pointed out Hidlay, I agree. He would definitely be a multi national champ IMO. But Brooks, man. Just bad timing for him. 

[Wrestleknownothing]

18 minutes ago, Rassling2 said:

Fadz, aren’t you the poster with the extensive collage of past NCAA tickets? I’ll never forget that photo - a wrestling FAN of all fans!

He isn't just a fan. He is a legend.

[11986]

3 hours ago, Frank said:

2004 Scott Moore Virginia has to be one of the greatest single seasons ever not to win a title.  

for a single season I absolutely agree, he was probably going to win the Hodge that year before the other Moore (Cliff/Iowa) beat him in NCAA semis. 

[JimmyCinnabon]

12 hours ago, macwoodfleet said:

Marinelli gotta be up there.

He was never even close to winning a title though. His best finish was 5th. He also had a 6th, 7th R12 and he was a NQ in the cancelled year. I wouldn’t add him to this list. 

Edited Thursday at 02:15 PM by JimmyCinnabon

[ionel]

27 minutes ago, JimmyCinnabon said:

He was never even close to winning a title though. His best finish was 5th. He also had a 6th, 7th R12 and he was a NQ in the cancelled year. I wouldn’t add him to this list. 

Yeah but we all know that the B10 is the best and only wrestling conference (just ask Sparky and TJ) and he won b10 so what he did at NCAA shouldn't matter.  

[ThwtJ]

Shelby Wilson - Oklahoma State  was a 2 time runner up HS in Oklahoma and a 2 time NCAA runner up 1958 & 1959 then won Olympic Gold medal 1960 in Rome  

I know he’s a lot older than the guys being discussed but he fits the criteria.

 

 

[BAC]

For me it's Bryan Snyder and the Hidlay brothers.

[Wrestleknownothing]

14 minutes ago, ThwtJ said:

Shelby Wilson - Oklahoma State  was a 2 time runner up HS in Oklahoma and a 2 time NCAA runner up 1958 & 1959 then won Olympic Gold medal 1960 in Rome  

I know he’s a lot older than the guys being discussed but he fits the criteria.

 

 

It is time we went old school.

I have also seen calls for Bob Fehrs as a three time runner up to the same guy each time (by 7 total points).

https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/3828

But there are also two other three time runners up in the no-freshmen era. Dick Wilson and Willard Duffy. 

Wilson lost his first title by a single point (3-3,5-4 when they scored periods separately). He lost his last two to one of the all-time greats, Gray Simons (some consider him the greatest ever). The first of those was a tie match that went to a ref's decision.

https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/3756

Duffy lost to another all-timer in Rex Peery in the 1935 semi-finals. But they had true seconds that year, so he wrestled back and beat the other finalist. After taking second in 1936 when they used the Olympic black-mark style, he did not wrestle in 1937. In 1938 he lost by decision to a three-time champ in Joe McDaniel.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/indystar/name/willard-duffy-obituary?id=48636671

[fishbane]

15 hours ago, BIGTENFANBOY said:

Sam Hazewinkle

2 2 2 3

He also won the US open in both styles and made an Olympic team.

[11986]

18 hours ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

It is a long list of guys that had 4 or 5 AA finishes without winning.

Not that this should be a definitive list (does not include the guys from the no freshmen eligible era, for example), but it is a starting point to debate.

I only included guys who average better than fourth place.

random trivia about some of the older guys on this list that I don't think have been mentioned yet. 

Dwight Hinson beat 3 timer Eric Guerrero 3 straight years in Big 8 finals and had a pretty dominant overall record vs EG. 

Mike DeAnna's two finals losses were to 3 timers Mark Schultz and Mark Churella. He'd beaten Churella in Big Ten finals that same season. 

Roger Frizzel never made a final. Nate Carr and Kenny Monday era. 3rd 3 times and a 4th place finish. 

John Fischer like Frizzel never made a final. 20+ NCAA tourney wins. 

Joe McFarland's two finals losses were to Barry Davis who was winning his 3rd title and to Kevin Darkus. JM, BD, and KD all won world silver medals in freestyle. 

Mike Mann was a two time runner-up. The 2nd one was to 3 timer Ed Banach who was winning his 3rd title. The score was 4-3. Mann beat Banach 3 times that same season. 

Kevin Jackson with the most eventual world level success of the guys on this list. Olympic Gold and two World Golds. NCAA wise was 2,3,3,7. 2nd place finish was to Royce Alger of Iowa who would end up with 2 titles plus a World silver. 

[fishbane]

A few more that haven't been named yet. 

Henry Cejudo - Olympic Gold

Brandon Slay - Olympic Gold, 2x NCAA finalist

Zeke Jones - World Champ, Olympic Silver, World Bronze, NCAA finalist 3x AA

Bobby Weaver - Olympic Champ, World Silver, NCAA 3rd

John Peterson - Olympic Gold, Olympic Silver, World Silver, World Bronze, NAIA AA

 

[Jim L]

16 hours ago, wrestle87 said:

I do believe Jamill Kelly belongs on this list.

Jamil Kelley maybe number one of the list of the greatest NCAA wrestlers never to have AA'd